Willow Green: A Journey Through Johto
by Skynica Dryhern
Summary: Willow is a depressed pre-teen living in Johto. But everything changes for her when she recieves a Cyndaquil from Professor Elm. Rated T for some language. Some minor shipping... may become a little more later on... we'll see...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I flopped down on my bed, disgusted with my life. I looked up at the slowly rotating fan suspended above me. I think I must have watched it for quite some time before my aunt called me down for dinner. I didn't want to go down, but my stomach had other ideas.

I sat down at the table, ate the spaghetti that Aunt Miriam had made, and then went back to my room to sulk some more.

I am Willow.

You think I'm from Johto?

You thought wrong.

I hate it here, leave me alone, Miriam! I want my mom back!

I woke up the next morning, still feeling angry and upset at the world in general, but I had to go to school. At least Ethan was there to complain to. I knew that he rarely listened to me, but it felt good to just talk to something living. Trust me, I've tried to talk to pillows and stuffed toys, and it doesn't work.

"Hello Ms. Grumps," he said as he got on the bus. That only made me angrier than usual, so I guess that you could say that I ignored him.

After school was done, I went home, went up to my room and did my home work, and then sulked. Yep, that was me. That's all I ever did- sulk around the house, bringing everyone around down with me.

Well, enough about the story for now- you only know my name, and I think that you probably want to know more, right? Well, as I said earlier, I'm Willow, also called Green by two very close friends who I will not name at this time.

I live in Johto with my aunt next to Professor Elm's lab. I ride the bus to school like a normal kid, I do my home work like a normal kid, but I am not a normal kid. I don't hang out with my friends, (not that I have any- well, not counting Ethan) and like you but unlike almost everyone in my school- no in my entire town- I don't have a single Pokémon.

Well, not anymore anyway.

"Willow," Miriam called. I moaned through my pillow some sort of reply.

"The professor wants to see you!"

Dear Dialga, what could he want with me now? Regardless, I went downstairs to see if there was anything else to learn from Miriam before heading over. There wasn't.

It wasn't an especially cold day for the middle of March, but I still crossed my arms. Then again, I always had my arms crossed.

I entered the lab to find the young professor waiting for me.

"Hey, Willow!" he said in a cheery tone. Yeah, it's not working, smart one. At that point, I could have smacked that smile off his face, but I decided against it.

"What?" I said irritably.

"I have an errand for you to do for me,"

I remained silent as he continued.

"Ok, there is a man named Mr. Pokémon who lives north of Cherrygrove City, and he has a special package for me that I can't go pick up myself, so I want you to get it for me!"

"Can't the intern get it?"

A voice called out from the back room- "Studying for the SAT!" Well, that's Edmond for you. Always studying for one test or another. But then again, he knows a lot about me and… never mind.

"So, Willow, what do you say, will you go get it for me?" Elm pleaded. I looked at him. He looked like he was about to get down on his knees and beg me. That wouldn't surprise me though.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"Yes!" Elm shouted. He actually did a little dance. After the awkwardness, he ran into the back room, shouting. He came back out with three Pokeballs.

"Wait, what are those?" I said, backing away.

"I can't let you go out into the tall grass alone, can I?" he said, giving me a big smile. "So, that's why I'm going to give you your very own-"

"No thank you," I said, turning my head. Arms folded, I looked up at a random point on the wall. "Not again. I can't do it again…"

Elm was silent. He knew exactly what I was talking about. Not that he was there when all that took place…

_"Willow? Are you there?"_

_ "I'm here, mommy,"_

_ "Listen to me, sweetie. No matter what they do, don't let them hurt Silver."_

"_Mommy, please! Don't-"_

_ But by then it was too late. They took everything from me._

I looked back at Elm. He stood completely still. He had a pained expression on his face. "You know that Pokémon could help you in more than one way," he said, placing one of the Pokeballs in my hand. There was a small flame sticker on it.

I closed my eyes and let the Pokémon out. The familiar red beam shot out and revealed a small blue Pokémon.

"This is Cyndaquil," Elm said. He released the other two starter Pokémon, naming them as he did so: "This is Totodile, and that one is Chikorita,"

I looked at the three of them. I reached out my hand to try and pet Totodile, the water type. He had a bad attitude and tried to bite me. I drew my hand back quickly and frowned. Then I smiled as I remembered the first time I had gone to pick out a starter Pokémon. Charmander had tried to bite me too.

"Um… Try Chikorita…" Elm suggested. The grass type looked up at me with big, pleading eyes. I picked it up and looked at it.

"Aww…" I said. "She's so…" and then I happened to look at its underside. I immediately put him down.

Well, after Totodile tried to bite me and Chikorita a little too excited to see me, my only other choice was Cyndaquil. I picked him up. He immediately nestled into my sweater, content.

"Well, it seems that Cyndaquil really likes you." Elm said. "Then again, so did Chikorita…"

For once, I laughed, but then I stopped. I simply sighed and stood up, thanking the Professor.

"I'll ask Miriam if I can go out now or if she wants me to go out tomorrow because it's getting late," I said, starting to walk out. "Once again, thank you,"

Well, back at home, Miriam was all excited about me bringing home a new Pokémon.

"Are you going to name him?" she asked. "If you do, you should give it a good name, like Crusher, or Blaze, or-"

"His name is Othello," I said. "I mean, he looks like an Othello, doesn't he?" **(Author's note: I have changed the names of all my Pokémon for this story. It would be confusing for the reader because in the real world, Othello is really named Quinton (as in Quinton from Team Sapphire in my Pokémon Mystery Dungeon story…))**

Miriam just looked at me. "Well… If that's the name that you want…" She said. I picked Othello up and looked him in the face.

"Ok, little guy, your name is now Othello," I said. Carrying him under my arm, I brought him up to my room. I set him down on the floor and sighed. I looked at my mirror.I had long brown hair that accumulated into a large frizz at the bottom. I always wore some sort of hat- usually a white cotton one that Miriam had knit for me. Jeans and a sweatshirt would finish the look for me most days.

I looked back at Othello. He had just peed on the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke up the next morning, momentarily forgetting about Othello's presence. I stretched, yawned, and got up. The next thing I knew, I was flat on my face. I tripped.

I looked up to see Othello looking at me worriedly. I patted his head and got up again.

"Good morning, little guy," I said.

"Cynda!"

We both headed down stairs where Miriam was already making breakfast. "Well good morning," She said, dishing out pancakes. "You're up earlier than usual. I'm guessing that you're excited about starting your Pokémon journey again?"

I looked at her. All the happiness and excitement had just been washed away. "I never said that I was going back out for the gym badges," I said.

Ok, for all of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a short explanation. Pokémon trainers go around their respective region to fight other trainers and eight gym leaders. Each gym hands out badges to show that the trainer had beaten that gym- Celadon City has the Rainbow badge, for instance. But that was back in the Kanto league, though. Anyway, after collecting the eight gym badges for the region, you could then challenge the elite 4 during the off-season of the Pokémon Master's Cup.

The Pokémon Master's Cup was held once a year for trainers to gather and battle each other to decide who would challenge the Elite 4 for a chance to challenge the region Champion. If you beat the Champion here, then you would become the new champion. Meanwhile, if you beat the Elite 4 and the Champion during the off-season, then the Champion would remain, but you could also win a load of other prizes- usually ribbons, trophies, and the like.

I tore my pancake in half and gave it to Othello. He nibbled on it for a minute and then set it on the ground. "Cynda!" he said, trying to get up on the chair.

"Not on the furniture!" Miriam shouted. Poor Othello jumped back in surprise, leaving a small plume of smoke in his wake. I laughed at him and patted his head.

"Don't mind her," I told him. "She loves everything to be crystal clean,"

"Well excuse me," my aunt said, digging into her own pile of pancakes. "But any way, I think that you should go out for Champion again like you did back in Kanto. By the way, do you even have your Kanto badges anymore?"

I thought over the question for a moment, and then replied, "I don't know. I had them all except the Earth Badge…" I abruptly got up and went back up to my room.

That was the only gym battle I ever lost. I sighed and sat on my bed. It was after that battle that… after that battle was when my life was changed.

I felt something come sit on the bed next to me. I looked over and saw Othello. I reached out and patted his head.

"Sorry, little guy. I've just had some… problems… with gym battling before."

"Cyn?"

"It's a long story. But I will tell you that you are not my first Pokémon."

"Cynda!"

"Yeah… But as I said, it's a long story. I can tell you on the way to pick up Elm's package,"

I got up and headed back downstairs. Miriam was cleaning the kitchen.

"I'm off, Miriam!" I shouted as Othello and I headed out the door.

"Wait, honey!" she shouted. She came out the door with a small, brightly colored box. "This is for you!" she said, handing it to me. I opened it.

"Cool! The PokeGear! Thank you Miriam!" I said, giving her a big hug.

"Now you can call me while you're on your adventure!"

"I'm only going to be picking up that package for Elm," I said. "Bye, auntie,"

Miriam only shook her head and smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, both of your parents were rather reluctant to challenge the gyms, and look at where they ended up!"

I smiled to myself as I turned. My mom and dad had beaten the champion at one point or another. They had a fierce rivalry as children, but they ended up getting married. But not long after I started my first journey, dad went out on another expedition. No one had heard from him or any of his Pokémon again.

I started to walk down the street, towards the 'tall grass'. It was like illegal for anyone without Pokémon to go out into the grass because 'wild Pokémon can attack you'. Trust me. They're not that bad.

As I was passing Elm's Lab, I noticed several things. Number one, Ethan was inside, talking to Elm. He was probably asking about getting a starter. The second thing was the other boy standing next to the lab. He was trying to blend in with the bushes. He was failing.

"I can see you, you know," I said coming over to him.

"Shut up," he said. He had red hair in a style that was supposedly 'hip'. One of the gym leaders in Sinnoh wore his hair in that style, I think. Anyway, this 'passer-by boy' was getting up. "I was just leaving." He said, going past me. He bumped into me, and was gone the next instant.

"Hey, Willow!" Ethan called. He was waving for me to come inside the lab with him. So, I did. Elm was smiling.

"Well, good morning," he said. "Here, I have something for you," he handed me a map.

"Um, thanks…" I said. "But Miriam just got me a PokeGear,"

"Oh, ok then," he said. "And how is Cyndaquil doing?"

"Great! He peed in my room. And I named him Othello,"

"Do you know who Othello was?" Ethan asked.

"No, it just sounds like a cool name. Why?"

Ethan and Elm were silent. Then they both burst out laughing. "Oh, Willow!" Elm said. "Othello was an African Prince in a play!"

"Ok, and? Does that really matter?" I asked.

"Willow, you don't understand!" Ethan said. "Think about it. Othello was from Africa!"

"You know what, Ethan? I figured that out. And I really don't care, either. Was there anything else you wanted me for?" I said bitterly. I really didn't care, and these two were making a mountain out of a Diglett-hill.

"No, that's it," Elm said, starting to recover. "Other than Mr. Pokémon's house is just north of Cherrygrove city. Just head west from here and eventually you'll reach Cherrygrove, and after that, just go north. After you have the package, bring it back here, ok?"

"Got it. Ok, bye," I said, leaving through the front door. I looked behind me at the lab. I noticed movement in the bushes. That 'passer-by boy' was back, trying to hide himself. I shook my head and headed out into the tall grass.

While we walked, I held a one sided conversation with Othello. He would speak, but I could only really guess what he was saying.

"My first Pokémon was a Bulbasaur," I said. "His name was Benke. I really miss him, you know. I wonder how he's doing?"

"Cynda?"

"I don't know where he is- I mean, I know that he's probably somewhere in Kanto, wandering around. Maybe he followed Misuki back to Viridian Forest. I hope he's happy,"

"Cyn?"

"It's not that he was unhappy with me. I just hope that he's happy where ever he is,"

We continued to walk in silence. Eventually, we met up with a Rattata. Well, I didn't have any Pokeballs, so I couldn't catch it. We beat it. I was happy. Yay.

Well, we made it to Cherrygrove city. There was an older man sitting on a chair, drinking a cup of coffee. He reminded me of the other old man in Viridian City. I wondered if this man would try to teach me how to catch Pokémon.

This man looked up and smiled. "Hello, lassie," He said.

"Please don't try to teach me how to catch Pokémon. I've caught Pokémon before, ok?"

The old man laughed. "Well, lassie. If you say so, but would you like a tour of this town?"

"I've been here before with my aunt," I mumbled as the old man took off. He was surprisingly fast for his age. I looked at his shoes. They looked really new. I looked at my own shoes. I wore a pair of worn out boots that barely fit anymore.

"Ok, lassie," the man said. "This here is the PokeCenter, where you can heal up your Pokémon if they get injured,"

"Yes, I know," I said.

"And that over there is the PokeMart," he continued. "Now on to the most important place in this city, my house!"

I followed him to his house which was south of the PokeCenter. I looked around. The walls were lined with shoe boxes. He must have had every shoe imaginable!

"And for you, lassie," the old man said, handing me one of the boxes. I took it and opened it. Inside was a new pair of shoes. I took off my old ones and put the new ones on. They were a perfect fit. I felt rather like Cinderella.

"Thank you, sir," I said, picking my bag up. I reached in to grab a small wad of cash, but the old man stopped me.

"No, I do not need money. I have more than enough shoes, lassie," he said. "Good luck on your adventure!"

"Um, thank you, sir," I said. I exited his house and went to the PokeCenter to have Othello checked up on.

Nurse Joy smiled as she took his Pokeball. "I'll be right back," she said. Her assistant, a Chansey, also smiled and followed her into the back room. I took a seat and waited for their return.

"Hey, Willow!" a voice called from behind me. I turned and immediately regretted it. There stood one of the most annoying people from my school. Three years younger than me and an obsession as a match-maker.

"Um, hi Lira…" I stammered. Dear Giratina in the reverse world…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Whatcha doin'?" Lyra asked as she sat down next to me.

"Waiting for Nurse Joy to get done with my Pokémon," I mumbled.

"OOH! So you DID get a Pokémon?" she asked. "What's his name?"

"Othello," I said.

"Cool! What is he, an Umbreon or something?"

"NO!" I shouted. I got up and moved across the room. Lyra was right behind me. She lived several doors down from me in between Ethan and some other 10 or 11 year old whose name I can't spell. It was something like Cory, but it had a weird spelling, like Khory. She had a thing for match making and Ethan or Khory.

"I got a Pokémon too!" she said. "He's a Chikorita, and I named him Oscar. He likes me a lot!"

"Joy," I muttered.

"Yes, Willow?" Nurse Joy asked. "Othello is nearly done, ok?"

"Not you!" I shouted at her. I shook my head and buried it in a midst of cloth. I ignored Lyra as best as I could until Nurse Joy called me over. I grabbed Othello's Pokeball and ran out of the Pokecenter, heading north.

Eventually, I slowed down to a walk and let Othello out of his Pokeball. He looked up at me quizzically.

"Huh, that was Lyra. You'll probably meet her personally soon enough."

And what do you know? There she was. She passed me and stood in my path with her arms outstretched.

"Hold it!" she said. "I wanna battle you!"

"Great. I'm going to whoop you, though," I said.

"Have you ever even battle, Ms. Grumps?"

I smiled and looked at her from under the brim of my hat. "You don't know this, Lyra, but I used to live in Kanto."

"And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh, you'll see soon enough. Go, Othello!" I shouted.

"Ok, then. Oscar, you're up!" Lyra said, throwing the Pokeball high in the sky. Oscar came out, spotted me, and immediately came over.

"Lyra, control him!" I said, backing away. "Othello, use Smoke Screen!"

Othello followed my commands down to the letter. Then again, he only knew tackle, leer, and smoke screen.

Any way, the smoke covered the mini battle field, keeping Oscar from seeing me or Othello. "Now, use Tackle!" I said. I could see their shadows moving around in the darkness, but Othello's attack struck home. Oscar tumbled out of the smoke, unconscious after one hit. Must have been a critical hit.

"Awww, no!" Lyra said, picking Oscar up. She gave me a small smile and came over to me. "I think I now know what you meant. You used to be a really good trainer back in Kanto. But then something happened and you came here and forgot how much you love Pokémon. Am I right?"

I didn't say anything, but she had gotten it. Lyra reached into her bag and tried to give me some money for winning.

"No, just keep it," I said. "You had no idea what you were up against. But next time, it'll be a different story!"

"Ok, then. Bye, Willow!" she shouted over her shoulder as she went back to the Pokecenter. I continued forwards with Othello by my side. Eventually, we reached a house. I knocked on the door. An older looking man answered.

"Um, are you Mr. Pokémon?" I asked. "I am here for Professor Elm's package,"

The man looked at me like I was crazy. "No, Mr. Pokémon lives up the road a little ways. I'm Mr. Apricorn,"

"Huh?"

"What, have you never heard of an Apricorn?"

"No…"

"Well then let me show you!" Mr. A. told me. He pointed to a nearby tree with several green fruits hanging from it. "That's a GRN Apricorn tree. Apricorns are amazing little fruits. I mean, that's what the ancient people used to keep Pokémon in! There are actually still some people out there who make special Pokeballs out of them as commemorative objects. Another cool thing you can do with them is make juice,"

"Sounds… neat…" I said slowly, choosing my words carefully. I didn't want to upset this man, but I needed to hurry up and get on with my assignment.

"Now… er, what did you say your name was?"

"Willow," I said.

"Ah, yes. Willow. I'm going to give you a gift! I'm going to give you a box so that you can pick Apricorns!"

"Um… Ok, thanks," I said. Two gifts from random old dudes in one day. Cool!

Mr. A. handed me a small basket. "It's expandable, too," The man said.

"Uh, yeah… Thank you, sir," I said. "But now… I kind of need to find Mr. Pokémon,"

"Of course, Willow. As I said, he lives just up the road from here. But I'm warning you, there are trainers up there who like to battle."

"Trust me, sir," I said. "I can take care of myself."

"And off you go!" he said. He shooed me off, and I continued down the path.

Just as Mr. A. had said, there were some trainers. But they were occupied with each other. Joey with his 'Top percentage' Rattata and some other kid with his Pidgey. I watched them for a little while, but then started on my way again. They told me that once they were done they'd take me on.

So, I finally made it to Mr. Pokémon's house. There were two other trainers who had challenged me, but I easily took care of them. I went up to the door and hit the bell. There was a loud crashing from inside, but then I heard a voice say, "Just a moment!"

In several seconds, another older man opened the door. "Are you Willow?" he asked.

"Yes sir," I said. "And please tell me you're Mr. Pokémon? The last house I was at had some Apricorn-Fanatic."

"Yes, I am Mr. Pokémon. Please, come on in!" he said. Then he shouted over his shoulder, "Yeah, she's here!"

"Wait, whose here?" I asked, pushing my way past Mr. Pokémon. I was surprised to see who was sitting on the couch.

"Professor Oak?" I cried in amazement.

"Well, if it isn't Ms. Willow Green," Professor Oak said. "Long time no see, am I right?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Yeah… a long time… like what, three years now?" I said.

The professor nodded. Mr. Pokémon came up behind us and said, "I'm going to get Elm's parcel now. Please you two. Enjoy yourselves,"

As Mr. Pokémon exited, I sat down across from Oak. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I was doing my Pokémon Talk recording over in Goldenrod City, and then I got a message from Elm saying that there was a package here for him. Once I heard that you were the one who was going to pick it up, well, I couldn't help but wait here for you. Might I ask how you are doing these days?"

"J-just fine, thank you…" I said, looking down at Othello's Pokeball.

"I see that you have gotten a new Pokémon from Elm," Oak said. "May I see it?"

I nodded and released Othello onto the floor. He looked up at Oak and smiled. "Quil?" he asked.

Oak nodded. "Yes, Cyndaquil. Though I have no idea what on earth you are saying, I am going to guess that you just asked me who I am. I am Professor Oak,"

Othello nodded and jumped up on my lap. Presently Mr. Pokémon came back holding a towel with something wrapped up inside it. He handed it to me, saying, "I received this on my doorstep about two days ago. I immediately called Professor Elm and then I guess he sent you,"

"Wh-what is it?" I asked. I unwrapped the towel a little bit to reveal a small egg. It had some pretty patterns on it- mostly blue and red. "Is this an egg?"

"If I am not mistaken, it is," Mr. Pokémon said. "Well, you'd better be going now,"

"Not yet," Professor Oak said. He turned to me. "Willow, I would like to ask you a favor,"

I nodded. "Yes sir?"

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled something out. He placed it in my hand. Tears sprung to my eyes as I recognized my old Pokedex.

"I've been keeping this for you for until you were ready again," Oak said. "And I believe that you are more than capable of accomplishing anything at this state."

I nodded again. "Have you upgraded it to Jotho yet?" I asked.

"Yes, I have. And even better news is that all of your old entries from Kanto are still in there,"

"Well then, let's get my first Jotho Pokémon entered!" I said. I aimed the Pokedex at Othello.

"Cyndaquil, the Fire Mouse Pokémon," the automated voice said. "It usually stays hunched over, but will shoot flames out of its back if angry or startled,"

"Cool. Hey, what's this?" I asked, touching the screen. "Cyndaquil's… Move Set?"

Oak tapped the screen twice. A list of Pokémon moves appeared. I scrolled through them. "These are all moves that Cyndaquil can learn! Cool!"

"Well, off you go," Oak said. He stood up. "And I'm going to be heading back to Goldenrod City. I'll see you later, Willow. Have fun!"

The professor left. Mr. Pokémon turned to me. "Well, I think that you should get that back to Elm now."

"Thank you, sir," I said. I got up and left the house. On the way back, Joey and the other kid challenged me. Joey's 'top percentage Rattata' was no match for Othello. Joey ended up starting to cry at the end when Rattata was out.

Pouting, he handed me my prize. But his face brightened when he saw my Pokegear. "Hey, you got a Pokegear, too? Here, let's exchange numbers!" So, he gave me his number and his mine.

The other kid was even easier to beat. So, after beating them, I returned to Cherry Grove City. Nurse Joy healed up Othello for me before heading home. But as I was leaving, I got a surprise. The red-haired boy from in front Elm's Lab was running towards me.

He looked flustered. He slowed to a walk as he approached me. I looked into his grey eyes. He growled, "I want to battle you,"

"Huh?"

"Battle, now!" he shouted. He whipped out a Pokeball and tossed it high in the air. Out popped Totodile. It seemed confused, blinking in the sunlight. I shook my head and tossed out Othello.

"Totodile, use scratch!" the other kid said. Totodile looked over at him and shook his head no. "Oh, come on!" the kid shouted.

I shook my head. "Othello, use Tackle!" I shouted Othello followed my command and knocked Totodile to the ground. They both got up and glared at each other.

"Please, Totodile, Scratch!" The other trainer shouted. This time, Totodile did scratch Othello. It barely did any damage though.

"Is that all you got?" I asked. "Now, Othello, use smoke screen and follow it up with a tackle!"

Othello did just as I had asked. As the smoke cleared, it was evident who had won.

"No…" The other trainer said. He put Totodile back into its ball. He rushed past me, heading for the Pokémon Center. I started to head back home, but I spotted something shining on the ground. I stooped over and picked it up.

It was his trainer card. I immediately glanced over it. I looked at his name. I could hardly believe my eyes.

"Hey!" the trainer shouted, coming back. He snatched the card from me and glanced over it. He coughed and then ran off. I just stood there, completely stunned. He had the same name as my mom's first Pokémon.

The ringing of my Pokegear awakened me from my little world. I answered it with a customary "Hello?"

"Hi honey!" Miriam said. There was a shuffling and I heard professor Elm start to shout at the Pokegear.

"Willow! We need you back here right now! Now! Now!"

I had to shift the gear away from my ear several inches so as not to burst my eardrums. "Ok, ok… Gosh, I'm coming with your package," I said. I clicked the gear off. I looked at the egg in my bag. "Hang tight, little guy," I said more to myself than to the egg. I headed off home.

Boy oh boy, did I get a surprise when I got home. Patrol cars were all over the place. It brought back some bad memories…

I entered Elm's lab. Miriam, the professor, Ethan, and Lyra were all there talking to Officer Jenny. The officer looked at me and immediately strutted over.

"Ah ha!" she said. "The thief always returns to the scene of the crime!"

"What's going on?" I asked, ignoring the police officer. Elm looked over to me and gave me a small smile.

"Hey Willow," he said. "Nice of you to get here. Um, we've had a bit of a situation…"

"Situation?" Ethan shouted. "Um, situation? This is a theft!"

"W-wait, hold on, a theft?" I asked. "Of what?"

"Pokémon," Lyra said. "Some one snuck in and took the Totodile,"

"Which stinks, because I wanted it…" Ethan said.

"Yeah, well you already have Marill," Lyra said.

I remained silent. Totodile? Well, no wonder the other trainer was in a hurry!

"I know who did it," I said. I told of how he had challenged me with a Totodile.

"Well, what was his name?" Elm shouted. I bit my lip and looked down. I murmured his name out loud- a word I had not used in a very long time.

"Silver,"

Miriam covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. She knew what that name meant for my mom's side of the family. She immediately left the lab and apparently went back to our house.

Everyone else just kind of looked at me. Eventually Lyra asked, "What's so wrong about the name Silver?"

I shot daggers at her and did not reply. Officer Jenny said that she would have someone get on the case immediately to try and get the Totodile back. She took the rest of her squad back to the head-quarters, leaving Lyra, Ethan, the Professor and me to do whatever.

At this point I remembered the egg in my bag. I gently took it out and handed it to the professor. He looked over it and then handed it back to me.

"Take it," he said. "Consider it a gift,"

My eyes widened at the prospect of carrying around an egg. "Uh, are you completely sure that it's a good idea to let me take this?" I asked. "I mean, what if-"

"Willow! It's fine, really," Professor Elm said. He smiled. "By the way, have all of you decided on your next course of action?"

"I'm going to go challenge gyms!" Lyra said.

"There's something in some legends that I would like to investigate," Ethan said. "They're called shiny leaves. They look pretty interesting, so I'm going to do that,"

"And what about you Willow?"

I stared at the floor, trying to decide what to do. Should I go ahead and try for the Indigo Plateau again? Or should I stay at home and finish off the school year like all the 'un-cool' kids?

"Um…" I said. "Well, I would really like to finish the school year, but… I'm going to collect the Gym Badges and challenge the Johto League!"

"Good for you!" Elm said. He looked at the three of us and smiled. "We have a 10 year old and two teens, all starting their adventures in one day. Tell me, are you going to be traveling together?"

I shook my head. "No thank you. I'm outta here!" and with that, I dashed out of the lab, ready to head out on my journey.

But not before Miriam stopped me. She had a small box which she handed to me.

"Take it, but do not open it until you truly need it," she said.

"Um, what is it?" I asked.

She gave me a sly smile, and replied, "You'll see when you need it,"

And she sent me on my way.

And once again, I was stopped by some one. Actually, two some ones.

"What?" I asked. Lyra and Ethan looked at me sheepishly.

"Um, we don't know how to catch Pokémon," Lyra said. "We have Pokeballs, but…"

I laughed. "Really? Wow, then… Ok, I'll make a deal with you two. If you give me some of the Pokeballs, I'll give you a lesson on how to catch Pokémon,"

"Oh, ok then," Lyra said. She handed me five of the Pokeballs. We waded out into the grass to find Pokémon. Presently, a Pidgey hopped out of the bushes.

"Perfect," I said. I released Othello from his Pokeball and commanded him to use ember on the Pidgey. The poor bird had no idea what was happening. I tossed a Pokeball at it and caught it. The Pokeball wiggled once, twice, three times, and then snapped closed.

"Very nicely done," Ethan said. Lyra applauded a little bit.

"Thank you, thank you," I said. I picked up the Pokeball and looked at it. "And his name is Tweety!" I said. I raised the ball up triumphantly.

*Willow Caught a Pidgey!*

My Pokedex beeped and vibrated a little bit. It bleeped something like 'Pokémon already registered. New Information'. I rolled my eyes and looked back at Lyra and Ethan. They shrugged and then walked past me. I would have laughed if some legendary Pokémon suddenly swooped down and snatched them up, up and away. It's the kind of dark humor that I take delight in. *Evil laugh*. Oh, was that out loud? Oops.

I don't think that either Lyra or Ethan really noticed, though. They simply continued on their way, leaving me behind. I took a different path, which ended up being the long way. Oh well- I was able to get the Pokedex entries for Sentret and Ledyba.

I reached Cherry Grove City by the early afternoon, healed up, and then continued on to the next city- Violet city. So, off to my first badge then!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I hummed to myself while we walked to Violet City. It was just a random theme from a TV show I had once watched. I looked down at Othello, who was keeping up fairly well considering his little legs.

"Othello, do you want me to carry you?" I asked. He shook his head and we continued walking.

"So… you are probably wondering why I was rather reluctant to get a Pokémon from Elm," I said slowly. "Well, I have had Pokémon before- I mean, I already told you that. But anyway, yeah," I said, smiling as I remembered back to that wonderful day. "Oh yes, Benke, that little rascal," I continued. "We had a lot of fun, and I know that you and I will have fun, too,"

"Cynda?"

"Hold that thought, buddy," I said as another trainer spotted us. We easily beat his Caterpie

"So, anyway Othello, as I was saying," I continued. "for a while it was just me and Benke, then we added Yuka, and then Mercury, but then after that we didn't have any other Pokémon for the longest time,"

"Cynda?"

"Yuka was a Pidgey, and I say was because he evolved, and Mercury was easily the fastest thing ever- hence his name. Oh, he was a Pikachu, if that's what you were wondering."

After that, we were silent until we reached Violet city. A nice little town, I guess, but it had a rather mystical air to it. I went to the Pokecenter to have Othello and Tweety healed up, and then I went off to challenge the gym- or so I thought. As I walked into the building, the 'champ in the making guy', as I dubbed him, approached me.

"Welcome challenger!" he said. "I assume you have come to challenge Falkner?"

I nodded as the guy inspected my team. "Hmm…" he said. "Well, I'm sorry, but you can not challenge the gym at this time,"

"What?" I asked. "Why? Is my team not sufficient? Do I need more Pokémon?"

"No, no, it is not that," he said. "Your team is probably just fine, but the thing is that Falkner is busy at this time,"

"Well, where can I find him?" I asked.

"Up in the Sprout Tower," he said. "Falkner, albeit a flying-type trainer, loves to spend his free time up in that tower with all the Bellsprout and the sages of the tower,"

"Oh, ok then," I said. "Thanks, I guess,"

I exited the gym, just in time to see a familiar figure duck into what I assumed was the Sprout Tower. I growled a little bit to myself, but regardless also entered the tower. I was immediately greeted by an elderly sage.

"Greetings, young one," he said. "Have you come to learn the ways of the Bellsprout?"

"Ah…" I said slowly. "I don't see why not," I finally managed to say. The sage nodded and smiled.

"Good, you have already passed your first test," he said.

"Huh?"

"First of all, we do not allow women to be sages in the first place," he said, chuckling to himself, "But you still showed that you have what it takes to beat our grand master,"

"Um, ok?" I asked more than said. "Where can I find Falkner?"

"He is at the top of the tower. If you can defeat the grand master sage, you will be able to challenge his gym,"

"Oh, thanks," I said. I turned to go, but then asked, "What about that other person who entered just before me?"

"Bad news," the sage replied. "He's a load of bad news, I can tell you. Oh, and one more thing," he said. "The other sages in this tower don't often get to battle, so don't be surprised if they ask to battle,"

"Oh…"

"But they shouldn't be a problem for you. Everyone here at this tower uses Bellsprout. And also, there are some Bellsprout who like to wander around, understand?"

"Yes sir, I get it," I said, itching to get away. "Thank you," I said, wondering if I should bow or something. The sage gave no sign that I should, so I turned and followed my rival up the stairs.

Funny though, to think of him as a rival. We've had only one battle, he doesn't seem to know my name (He could though- but that would make him a stalker), and he chose the Pokémon strongest against mine.

But then again, not all of your rivals chose the Pokémon strongest against your starter.

Just as the sage said, there were lots of Bellsprout- a good work out for both Othello and Tweety. The sages even more so- albeit some also had a rattata or a Hoothoot. By the time I got to the top, I was well prepared for the master sage.

Or so I thought.

Silver had obviously just finished his battle- and managed to win with his own Hoothoot. A mixed look of anger and confusion crossed his face when he saw me. I knew what was coming, so I grabbed Tweety's Pokeball and tossed it up.

"No, no, no," The Master sage said sternly. "You reckless children! Your battling will upset the Pole!"

"Huh?"

"Did you not notice that giant swaying pole in the center of this tower?" the master sage said, indicating the giant swaying pole in the center of the tower.

"Yeah, I noticed it," Silver said. "And I don't care. This is my rival, and I intend to fight her, right here, right now," And with that, he released his Hoothoot.

Both of our Pokémon were slightly weakened from previous battles, but that didn't stop us.

"Hoothoot, use peck!"

"Tweety, use sand attack!"

"Hoothoot, use peck! What? You missed, you stupid lousy Pokémon!"

"Hey, it's not his fault he missed!" I shouted. "You really need to be nicer to your Pokémon, Silver,"

Silver growled as I commanded Tweety to finish Hoothoot off. Silver had already given up on Hoothoot, and he had stopped commanding it.

"Go, Totodile!" he said, releasing the stolen Pokémon. Totodile crossed its arms angrily. "Use Water Gun!"

Totodile didn't follow Silver's orders. Instead, he jumped up and bit Tweety's leg, pulling him back down.

"Tweety, hit him with your wings," I said, starting to get a little bit nervous. I didn't want to use Othello against the Totodile, if at all possible.

Well, unfortunately for me, Totodile did finally use water gun on Tweety, knocking him out.

I whispered a good job to Tweety's Pokeball, then I let out Othello.

"You can't possibly win, Willow," He said. Aha! He does know my name! "So why don't you just give up?"

"I won't give up, if you won't give up," I said, quoting an old song. I commanded Othello to use smokescreen, and then use tackle. Silver's Pokémon had gotten a lot more powerful, but then again, so had mine.

"Totodile, use water gun," Silver commanded. Totodile didn't listen to him, so I seized my opportunity.

"Othello, use tackle one more time!" I said. Othello listened to me and knocked out Silver's Totodile. Has anyone noticed that battling when you first start out is really boring and lame sounding? I mean, really. "Rattata, use tackle!" then "Pidgey, use tackle!" If we're lucky, maybe there'll be a Meowth or Charmander that can use Scratch. Ugh.

Anyway, back on track. Silver cried out in anger as his Totodile went down. He re-called it and glared at me.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to battle me," I said, trying to prevent a major conflict.

"She's right," said the sage. We both turned to the sage. "You shouldn't battle if you are not prepared," he said to Silver. "and you!" he said, turning to me. "did you bring me my tea?"

"I don't have any tea, sir," I said.

"No, not you," he said. He gestured to the young man who appeared behind me, holding a boiling pot of tea. "Him," he said.

"I have it, sir," the young man said. He passed by me, taking care not to spill the tea.

"Thank you, Falkner," said the elderly sage. He took a sip, then glanced at me. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

I had no idea what the erratic old man could be talking about, so I replied truthfully. "I have no idea what you're talking about,"

The old man sputtered out his tea. "You are a trainer, correct? Challenge Falkner to a battle!"

I turned to the young man who was apparently Falkner. He had blue hair a piercing gaze.

"I guess that means you're the gym leader?" I asked. Falkner was silent, but he nodded his head.

"Well then," I said. "I challenge you to a gym battle!"

"How many Pokemon do you have?" he asked. I wondered why he would ask, but I replied that I had 2. Falkner chuckled. "We at the Violet city gym highly suggest that you have at _least _three. You'd have no chance against me if you used only two- no offense intended,"

"Offense taken," I muttered. I turned to Silver. He smirked a little bit. I was just about ready to punch his face in, but because I do have some self-control, I restrained myself. Instead, I retorted with this: "Oh, like you have three Pokemon. Heck, I beat you!"

Silver had no comment, so he simply just turned and went back down the stairs. Falkner turned back to me and said, "Come challenge me once you get another Pokemon. Then maybe I'll battle you,"

Falkner followed Silver down the tower, and I was left upstairs with the sage.

"Want some tea?" the sage asked. I rolled my eyes and followed Silver and Falkner down the stairs.

Back outside, I weighed my options. I went to the Pokemon Center first of all. While I waited, I remembered the egg that was in my bag. I pulled it out and wondered what kind of Pokemon could be inside. I also pondered if it was anywhere near hatching- I could save myself some time. But then I also remembered that I would have to train what-ever-it-was.

"Willow Green, your Pokemon are ready to be picked up!" said Nurse Joy over the intercom. I returned the egg to my bag and went to pick up Othello and Tweety.

"Well you two- It's time for some hard-core training," I said after releasing them from their Pokeballs. Tweety and Othello looked at each other and nodded. They followed me south, and we got some good training in. Then we headed back to the Pokemon Center, got them healed up, and headed back out. We repeated this process about 5 or 6 times before we met our first Mareep.

She was pretty average for a Mareep- normal size, pretty good attacks. I seized the opportunity and tossed a Pokeball at her. She was caught after three rolls. I picked up the Pokeball and pondered a name for her.

"Mary," I finally said. I took my three Pokemon back to the Pokemon Center, and got them healed up.

I was now ready to challenge the Violet City Gym!


End file.
